"My heart may belong to metal, but it was Coheed and Cambria that cemented my love for rock music. One of my favorite bands to this day, C&C’s influence on my musical tastes has resonated long into my twenties, with sonically similar acts like The Dear Hunter helping to keep me invested in their particular blend of modern alternative and progressive rock. It's surprising to me then, as a fan of such a specific style, that I'd never encountered Connecticut's Mile Marker Zero." Prog is a highway, and you're gonna ride it.[Give in to your anger...]

"I worked a full-time retail job while in college, and let me tell you, nothing helps one become thick skinned quite like customer service work. Initially, enduring undeserved tirades from patrons is a day-ruining experience, but after a year or two of dealing with entitled pissants on a daily basis, the anguish turns to utter apathy. Much is the same when it comes to familiarizing oneself with metal’s more aggressive realms; what once seemed shockingly violent in its basest of forms eventually becomes a mundane component of a balanced metallic listening diet. So what is a thrash metal band to do, then, when they want to play fast, angry material while keeping things fresh?" Speed thrills.[Give in to your anger...]

"When I was first exploring metal’s myriad subgenres, I figured out what I like to hear in folk metal in record time. My favorites the style has to offer are those of the fast, infectiously catchy variety; acts like the early incarnations of Ensiferum and Equilibrium make up my personal top tier, plodding mid-paced and accordion-based stuff fills out the bottom tier, and any band in the mid-tier is merely forgettable. Battlesoul falls into this mid-tier, but it's certainly not due to mediocre songwriting chops." Tiers of the dragon.[Give in to your anger...]

"I'm not, nor have I ever been, a stoner. This has more to do with the fact that lil’ Eldritch wasn't cool enough in school to have friends who smoked weed than it does with any particular disdain for marijuana’s effects, and as a result, I've never really understood the appeal of stoner rock/metal. I have a great appreciation for traditional doom bands that can mold slow 'n' low sounds into something emotionally compelling, but the stoner approach is typically too lethargic and lacking in proper melody for me to embrace as a relatively straight edge bystander. Bearing this stance in mind, know that you, dear reader, may derive significantly more mileage out of Black Wizard’s fourth LP, Livin’ Oblivion, than myself." Of weeds not done.[Give in to your anger...]

"In my eighteen months writing for this blog I've somehow failed to even once express my affinity for Skeletonwitch. They are, without question, one of my very favorite metal bands; their ability to pair unconventionally hooky melodies with equally catchy thrash rhythms, bred with prominent elements of melodic death and black metal, gets my blood flowing in a way that traditional genre affair can never quite match. Describing Skeletonwitch’s sound in this review also serves to summarize the sound of Denver, Colorado's Necropanther." Blast Panther.[Give in to your anger...]

"Records that pair abstract, artsy gore with a thematically rich title are the telltale wrappings of albums that may as well be the metal world's equivalent of Oscar bait; you don't have to listen to Horizon Ablaze to know that they deal in a progressive, forward-thinking strain of black/death metal. And yeah, most of those records are good, but The Weight of a Thousand Suns is especially fucking good." There goes the tease. [Give in to your anger...]

"This past week I was giving Frozen Crown’s The Fallen King my dozenth or so spin as I was handling a particularly annoying clean-up report at my other office job. Typically, when faced with such an irksome task, I like to listen to fast music of either the aggressive or uplifting variety; either emotional response triggered by the conflicting styles will do the trick to kick my ass into work-mode. This particular go-round with Frozen Crown struck me, as it handily enabled both responses." Don't let it go.[Give in to your anger...]

"Hang around the AMG blog dispensary long enough and you'll quickly discover that we don't have a lot of love for EPs. As recently outlined by our Supreme Leader, a lot of fucking albums make their way into the promo trough, and we're almost certain to overlook them in favor of more fulfilling and fleshed-out full-lengths. So when Steel Druhm actually caves to a request to review an EP - one that we weren't even provided a promo for - by a foaming-at-the-mouth Eldritch, you can be sure of two things. One: HR is almost certainly on its way to my tenticubicle. Two: British trve metal outfit Dream Tröll has something really special on their hands with The Witch's Curse." E.P. stands for Extreme Penalty.[Give in to your anger...]

"Welp, it's official: I've finally joined the likes of Steel Druhm, El Cuervo and Huck n Rolll in AMG’s Dad Rock Review Squad. In my defense, this was a total accident. Oblivious’ debut record was mistakenly labeled “Doom Metal” when I found it at the bottom of the thoroughly-picked early February promo barrel, and while I suppose a reasonable line of logic can be traced between the House that Sabbath Built and Oblivious’ brand of fuzzed-up hard rock, it doesn't do anything to leave me feeling emotionally trampled." Dad's do it better.[Give in to your anger...]

"I hate how the paleontological community has degraded the popular image of dinosaurs in recent years. It's not that I disagree with their theories - I'm no scientist, and I'm not about to dispute countless hours of research performed by people who actually know what they're talking about - but I'm still disappointed, because imagining a Tyrannosaurus rex as a big fucking chicken and a tender lover absolutely shatters the mystique of my childhood obsession. So you know what, Victorius? Go right ahead. Strap laser beams to their frickin’ heads. Refer to them as “epic war machines” fighting a “holy war” against “alien scum.”" Saur spots.[Give in to your anger...]